A number of sponsored research projects have been completed by the ISID. The sponsors of projects include Ministry of Finance and Planning Commission of the GOI, United Nations Center on Transnational Corporations (now part of UNCTAD), European Commission (EU), Asian Development Bank (ADB), International Labour Organisation (ILO), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Indo-Dutch Programme on Alternatives in Development (IDPAD) and the National Commission on Rural Labour. Besides, individual members of the faculty pursue their own research interests.

• Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Selected Sectors of India: A Comparative Study with Selected Countries

The study made a comparative study of policies and procedures and actual inflows of FDI in select industries and a few countries in Asia and Latin America viz., China, Brazil, Mexico, Malaysia and Thailand. The study focussed upon information technology, transport equipment, other engineering industries, food processing sector and drugs & pharmaceuticals which offer a mix of export potential, technology intensity and employment generation and which have also accounted for a significant portion of FDI inflows into India in the new policy period.

The principal investigators of the study are: K.S. Chalapati Rao, K.V.K Ranganathan and M.R. Murthy. Final report of the study was submitted to the Office of the Economic Advisor, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry in March 2007.

• Import Intensity of India’s Exports in Liberalized Trade Policy Regime

There are divergent views on effects of trade liberalization on economic growth and employment generation. However, this is not the case with export expansion and improvement in competitiveness. The impact of trade liberalization is closely related to initial level of economic openness. If initial level of economic openness is more, growth of output, exports, employment and competitiveness will be more positive. But it may not be prudent to attribute higher growth to trade liberalization alone. Available studies on various countries are not conclusive on the effects of trade liberalization on employment generation. The objective of the study is to assess empirically the impact of trade liberalization on output, exports and employment generation and competitiveness in India’s manufacturing sector.

The results of the study reveal that import intensity of exports in manufacturing sector has increased and so is the competitiveness. Liberalization has led to expansion in output and employment, particularly in labour-intensive and export-oriented industries. Many of the capital-intensive industries also witnessed rise in output and competitiveness. Liberalization policies have thus brought about a favourable impact on Indian industries. But trade reforms must be implemented and sequenced suitably, as a part of broader effective growth strategy to enhance economic growth in India.

The principal investigators of the study are: T.P. Bhat, Atulan Guha, Mahua Paul and Partha Pratim Sahu. Final report of the study was submitted to the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry in March 2007.

• Export-orientation of Foreign Manufacturing Affiliates in India

Foreign firm’s contribution to India’s exports continued to be marginal whereas their export contribution has grown significantly in other developing countries like China, Malaysia, Singapore, Chile, Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic. For example, foreign affiliates contributed just about 4.5 per cent total exports in 1990 in the case of India. What explains this poor export performance of FDI in Indian case?

The present research project has estimated the export intensity and shares of foreign firms for 17 Indian industries over 1991–2005 and analyzed factors that determine export-orientation of foreign manufacturing affiliates in India to explain foreign firm’s least biases towards export activities.

The empirical result also suggests that the export-orientation of foreign firms has changed positively following the adoption of an outward looking regime since 1991. The new policy regime seems to have stimulated exports activities of foreign affiliates by producing an export-friendly business atmosphere. Nevertheless, the Indian government needs to be both proactive and cautious so far as the nature and composition of exports, the propensity for which is keenly opted for by the foreign affiliates. The overwhelming emphasis upon exporting mineral products following preliminary processing is an ominous sign that potentially reduces the beneficial impacts from FDI to the host country.

It has been observed that foreign affiliates in India have significantly lower export intensities in R&D- and advertising-intensive industries. The host country policies may target foreign firms operating in these industries so as to encourage them to adopt exports by providing supportive incentives.

The study was initiated internally by Jaya Prakash Pradhan and completed in August 2006.

• Conditions of Work and Promotion of Livelihood in the Unorganised Sector

The study envisages preparation of papers on the following aspects of work and employment in the unorganised sector.

1. Magnitude and structure of employment in different categories; self-employed and wage labour, distribution by industry and occupation, rural-urban locations, gender and social categories such as castes and so on.
2. Working conditions of wage labourers in the unorganised sector in terms of physical environment, conditions of employment such as hours of work and holidays, wages, social security, grievance settlement procedure, legislative and institutional arrangement for ensuring minimum conditions of work in the unorganised sector.
3. Levels and sources of livelihood of self-employed workers, access to inputs, credit and markets, programmes for promotion of livelihoods and their effectiveness.

Background papers, based on secondary material and past studies, were prepared and submitted to National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS) and have been used as major input in the final report of the Commission. T.S. Papola was the project Director and Jesim Pais, Partha Pratim Sahu and Rathi Kant Kumbher are the principal researchers.

• Labour Regulation in Indian Industry: A Study of its Impact on Growth, Investment and Employment

The project consists of studies, consultations, discussion and publications with a view to contributing to the on-going debate and policy making on the subject, by especially examining the impact of existing labour regulation on growth, investment, employment and labour standards in Indian industry. The main aspects of the project are as follows:

1. Labour Policy and Legal Framework in India: A Review; C P Thakur
2. Labour Regulation in Small Enterprises: Coverage and Impact; V N Prasad
3. Labour Regulation and Its Impact: A Review of Studies and Documents; T S Papola, G S Mehta & Vinoj Abraham
4. Effectiveness of Labour Regulations in Indian Industry; Jesim Pais
5. Labour Regulation, Industrial Growth and Employment: A Study of Recent Trends in Andhra Pradesh; D N Reddy
6. Impact of Labour Regulation on Growth, Investment and Employment: A Study of Maharashtra; K R Shyam Sundar
7. Labour Regulation and Industrial Development in Uttar Pradesh: Some Recent Trends; Alakh N Sharma & V Kalpana
8. Labour Regulation and Industrial Development in West Bengal; Debdas Banerjee
9. Labour Regulation, Labour Flexibility and Labour Reforms in Europe: Some Perspectives with Possible Lessons for India; A V Jose, Pietro Garibaldi and K R Shyam Sunder
10. Labour Regulation in Indian Industry: Towards a Rational and Equitable Framework; T S Papola, Jesim Pais and Partha Pratim Sahu

Ten detailed research papers have been prepared under the programme and integrated into a report incorporating a framework for a fair and efficient labour regulation in India conducive to growth and employment generation and observance of minimum labour standards in Indian industry.

The study is being undertaken in collaboration with the International Institute for Labour Studies (IILS), Geneva. The European Union (EU) has sponsored this research project. T.S. Papola, ISID and A.V Jose, IILS are the project Directors.

• Defining the Role of Government in Transnationlization Efforts of Indian SMEs: A Case Study of Indian Pharmaceutical Industry

Over the decades, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have emerged as a strong player in the Indian pharmaceutical industry, although they are now facing increasing national and international competition. Enlarging market focus and improving firm-specific competitive capabilities through transnationalization, thus, turn out to be critical strategies for Indian pharmaceutical SMEs. The present study, commissioned by Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science and Technology, critically discussed the role of government polices to promote internationalization efforts by small pharmaceutical firms. It also analyzed their internationalization growth in terms of export performance and outward FDI as compared to large firms during the period of economic reforms and undertook empirical analysis of the various determinants of their internationalization process.

The pharmaceutical industry in India is found to be largely dominated by small and medium-sized firms. The small firms are operating at a disadvantageous position as compared to their large counterparts. The research shows that in-house R&D capability, import of capital goods and machineries, inter alia, are crucial determinants of export activities by SMEs. The case study of select pharmaceutical SMEs suggests that individual firms undertake different strategies such as product innovation, quality improvement, collaborative R&D with government and agencies to successfully operate in the international market. Pharmaceutical SMEs are also undertaking outward-FDI to improve and enhance their overall competitiveness in the global market.

The existing government polices to promote export and other forms of internationalization strategies are found to be grossly inadequate. A large number of pharmaceutical SMEs, are either not aware of different government schemes or are not getting any substantial benefits from such initiatives. The present study identifies specific intervention areas, such as availability of low cost finance for technological up-gradation and quality improvement, information on overseas markets, improvement in crucial physical and R&D infrastructure, promotion of pharmaceutical SMEs clusters, special and discriminatory incentives schemes for pharmaceutical exporting SMEs and so on, which need urgent policy attention to facilitate Indian pharmaceutical SMEs to stand on their own in the present competitive business environment.

Final report of the study was submitted to Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. Jaya Prakash Pradhan and Partha Pratim Sahu are the principal researchers.

• High-tech Industries, Employment and Global Competitiveness

High-tech, knowledge-based industries like information technology, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals have played an important role in the transition of the Indian and Chinese economies – the two largest and fastest developing economies in the world today. This process has been characteristically marked by the expanding reach of multinational enterprises, flows of foreign direct investment, unprecedented advancement of information and communication technologies (ICT) and knowledge-based industries, and infusion of ICT across the entire spectrum of industries and activities.

This interdisciplinary book offers an in-depth understanding of the behaviour of firms in these industries, analysing the strategies they adopt in a globally competitive environment, the role they have played in ushering in the growth revolution in China and India, and the contribution they have made to the nature and growth of employment. Findings are based mostly on data collected through fieldwork and surveys. The book also discusses the emerging nature of scientific and technological developments like nanotechnology, novel materials, spintronics, and quantum computers, suggesting that in the future, knowledge and technology will become the real sources of wealth for nations.

This book will be of particular interest to those in the fields of economics, international business, and industrial and technological development management.

The book is edited by Prof. S.R. Hashim, ISID & Vice-President, Forum for Global Knowledge Sharing and Prof. N.S. Siddharthan, Honorary Professor, Madras School of Economics and Member-Secretary, Forum for Global Knowledge Sharing.

It is being published by Routlege India, Taylor and Francis, Group, New Delhi.

• India and China in WTO: Building Complementarities and Competitiveness in the External Trade Sector, project report submitted to the Planning Commission, Government of India, 2005.

• Employment Implications of Growing Exports: With special focus on Services Exports, the study report was submitted to the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, 2005.

• Two sub-Chapters: 'Economic History of Tobacco Production in India' and 'Policy Interventions: Supply-side Actions' for 'Collaborative Approaches for Comprehensive Tobacco Control in India' project for the Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth (HRIDAY). This is a sponsored project of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India and Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, USA , 2004. Final report of project has come out as a publication Report on Tobacco Control in India', K. Srinath Reddy, and Prakash C Gupta (eds.), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, 2004.

• Review of Existing Policies and Legislation for Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in Uttar Pradesh, 2004. The project was sponsored by the ILO.

• Study for Working out the Details of Steel Demand in Oil, Gas, Water and Slurry Transmission Segments, 2004. The study was sponsored by the Steel Authority of India Ltd.

• Livelihood Strategies for Sikkim, 2003. The project report was submitted to the UNDP.

• Savings and Capital Formation of the Indian Private Corporate Sector: An Attempt at Explaining Recent Trends, project report submitted to the Union Ministry of Finance, 2003.

• Savings and Investment of the Indian Private Corporate Sector during the'Nineties, sponsored by the Union Ministry of Finance, 2002.

• India's External Trade during the 'Nineties: Some Aspects - An Analysis of Customs House and Company Data, a project report sponsored by the Planning Commission, November 2002.

• Beyond the Washington Consensus - Governance and the Public Domain in Constrasting Economies: The Cases of India and Canada, a joint project of the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies, York University, Canada; Institute for Studies in Industrial Development and Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID), 2001.

• Global Capital Flows and the Indian Stock Market, a project sponsored by the Indo-Dutch Programme on Alternatives in Development (IDPAD), 1999.

• Privatization in India - Social Effects and Restructuring, country study sponsored by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), 2000.

• Design of Social Safety Net for the State of Madhya Pradesh, sponsored by Asian Development Bank (ADB), 2000.

• Madhya Pradesh - Implementation of Public Sector Restructuring Programme: A Poverty Impact Assessment Study, sponsored by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), 1998.

• Foreign Investment Approvals and Implementation Status: A Review (August 1991- December 1994), sponsored by the Union Ministry of Finance, 1995.

• Foreign Investment Approvals: An Analysis (August 1991 to July 1993), sponsored by the Union Ministry of Finance, 1994.

• ISID Development Indices: Monitoring Stock Exchange Trends, sponsored by the Union Ministry of Finance, 1994.

• India's Trade Policy and Export Performance of Industry, sponsored by the Indo-Dutch Programme on Alternatives in Development (IDPAD), 1994.

• Economic Liberalisation and Indian Agriculture, sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 1994.

• Directory of Statistics of International Investment & Production in India, prepared for the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations, 1993.

• Small and Medium-sized Transnational Corporations, TCMD Division of United Nations Department of Economic and Social Development, 1992.

• Political Economy of India, 1992.

• Directory of Joint Stock Companies in India, 1990: A Review, a report submitted to the Department of Company Affairs, 1992.

• India's Imports and Exports: Some Insights (An Analysis of Daily Trade Register Data), a reported submitted to the Union Ministry of Finance, 1991.

• Exchange Rates, Trade Policy and Tariff Structure, a reported submitted to the Union Ministry of Finance, 1991.

• Directory of Statistics of International Investment and Production in India, prepared for the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations (UNCTC), 1990.

• Patterns in Indian Agricultural Development: A District-Level Study, sponsored by the Planning commission, 1989.

• Public and Private Corporate Sectors in India: A Study in Characteristics and Trends, project report submitted to the Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE), New Delhi, 1988.

• Joint Sector Enterprises in India: Rationale, Growth and Performance, 1995.

• Employment Generation and Rural Labour.

• Patterns of Rural Industrialisation and Non-farm Employment in India.

• Rural Labour Markets and Incidence of Poverty.

• Export Promotion and Indian Joint Ventures, 1990.

• Small Scale Sector and Big Business, a study prepared under the ICSSR Research Programme, Regulation of Private Corporate Sector In India, 1984.

• Functioning of the Industrial Licensing System, a study prepared under the ICCSR Research Programme, Regulation of Private Corporate Sector In India, 1983.

• Ownership and Control Structure of the Indian Press, Report submitted to the Second Press Commission, 1981.